Moon, CEPI CEO discuss Korea’s vision for global vaccine production hub

President Moon Jae-in and Richard Hatchett, CEO of Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation, held a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday and exchanged views on South Korea’s pandemic preparedness and its vision for a global vaccine production hub. Moon applauded CEPI’s leadership role in facilitating investment into vaccine development and manufacturing against COVID-19, which he said greatly helped in saving people’s lives around the world. “Since joining CEPI l

PoliticsNov. 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] Kingmaker or safe choice, opposition hopes for ‘Kim Chong-in effect’

Kim Chong-in, a veteran election campaigner often referred to as "kingmaker," is once again at the center of attention in the political arena, with the conservatives betting on him to help them win next year’s presidential election. In recent weeks, the main opposition People Power Party has been openly reaching out to Kim to head Yoon Seok-youl's election campaign and wrest power from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea in the March presidential election. "We hope

PoliticsNov. 16, 2021

Kim Jong-un reappears after monthlong absence, visits Samjiyon

After not being seen in public for more than a month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reappeared in the state media Tuesday, visiting the city of Samjiyon near the border with China, where the leader’s signature construction project is underway.  The North’s Korea Central News Agency said Kim visited the northern alpine city in Ryanggang Province to inspect progress on the final and the “third stage” of the development project, which is expected to be completed by

North KoreaNov. 16, 2021

In election season, the wrong hat could land you in prison

Supporters in MAGA hats have been a common sight on the campaign trail in the US in recent years, but in Korea that kind of promotion won’t wash. According to Korea’s Public Official Election Act, a hat bearing a campaign slogan candidate can lead to a fine or even jail if the wearer is not a candidate or on the campaign staff. This is one of several obscure clauses in addition to the more widely known rules such as prohibiting giving money out to voters, damaging candidates’

PoliticsNov. 16, 2021

S. Korea posts 1st decline in foreign population since 2006 amid pandemic

South Korea saw its foreign population shrink by 3.2 percent in November last year from the previous year, the first such decline at least since 2006 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the interior ministry said Tuesday. According to a report by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the number of foreign residents, defined as foreign nationals residing in the country for more than 90 days or naturalized Koreans and their children, stood at 2.15 million in November in 2020, compared with 2.22 millio

Social AffairsNov. 16, 2021

S. Korea eyes large-scale military parade to mark Armed Forces Day next year

South Korea seeks to stage a large-scale military parade next year to mark the Oct. 1 Armed Forces Day, a defense ministry official said Tuesday, in what could be a major show of force just months after the launch of the country's next administration. The ministry has set aside 7.98 billion won ($6.75 million) for the parade likely to showcase the nation's state-of-the-art military hardware, though a final decision would be made by the new government to be launched in May, the official said. &

DefenseNov. 16, 2021

[Herald Interview]World Energy Council welcomes Kepco pledge on carbon neutrality

GWANGJU -- South Korea’s state-run energy firm, which announced last week a complete exit from coal by 2050, is headed in the right direction, says World Energy Council Secretary-General Angela Wilkinson. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2021 BIXPO energy forum hosted by Korea Electric Power Corp. in Gwangju, Wilkinson said the company’s “Zero for Green” carbon neutrality plan was a symbolic move. “Making public commitments together is a highly symbolic act, it&r

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 16, 2021

Military reports 9 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported nine additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,135, the defense ministry said. Five of the newly added patients tested positive after their family members were infected, the data showed. A Marine Corps draftee stationed on the southern resort island of Jeju tested positive after a virus case was reported at the base. An officer at the arms procurement agency in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, tested positive after develop

DefenseNov. 16, 2021

UN rapporteur raps China over repatriation of N. Korean defectors: news report

A UN official on the human rights situation in North Korea has criticized China for sending back North Korean defectors, describing the practice as a serious challenge to international law, according to a news report Tuesday. "The issue is very serious and the government is challenging international law," Tomas Ojea Quintana, the special rapporteur on North Korea human rights, was quoted as saying by the Voice of America (VOA). He added, "I urge once again the People's Republic

Foreign AffairsNov. 16, 2021

Stalking offense warning issued to reporters covering DP nominee's wife

Reporters covering the wife of the ruling party's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung outside their home have been sent away by police after being warned of potential stalking offenses, officials said Tuesday. According to the Bundang Police Station in Seongnam, South of Seoul, five reporters who were covering Kim Hye-kyung, Lee's wife, in front of her home Monday have been sent away after being warned they could be in potential violation of the anti-stalking law. The journalists reportedly s

PoliticsNov. 16, 2021

S. Korea ranks No.18 in intl defense integrity report

South Korea ranked 18th out of 85 countries in terms of integrity in the defense sector last year, an international anti-corruption organization said Tuesday. According to the Government Defense Integrity Index (GDI) by Transparency International, South Korea scored 59 points on a 100-point scale, receiving grade C, which means that a country has a moderate risk of corruption in the defense sector, according to Transparency International Korea. GDI is an index analyzing the risk of corruption

DefenseNov. 16, 2021

Serious COVID-19 cases hit fresh high amid few signs of virus slowdown

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients in South Korea hit an all-time high on Tuesday as the daily caseload hovered over 2,000 for the seventh consecutive day amid eased antivirus curbs. The country reported 2,125 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,110 local infections, raising the total caseload to 399,591, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of patients in serious condition came to the highest ever figure of 495, breaking the previous record o

Social AffairsNov. 16, 2021

N. Korean leader visits Samjiyon city in first public activity in more than month

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the northwestern city of Samjiyon, near the border with China, where a major development project is underway, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday. It marks his first public activity in more than a month. Located at the foot of Mount Paekdu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, Samjiyon is known to be the birthplace of Kim's late father and former leader Kim Jong-il. Developing the city has been one of Kim's pet projects since taking office i

North KoreaNov. 16, 2021

End of war declaration seeks to keep N. Korea on track to denuclearization: Choi Jong-kun

The Seoul-proposed end of the Korean War declaration seeks to create a denuclearization process that North Korea cannot walk away from, South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said Monday. Choi also said such a framework will likely be a long and even torturous process. "The peace process could likely be long, arduous and even torturous. On the way, North Korea might be tempted to look back and doubt or hesitate to stay the course," he said in the annual South Korea-U

North KoreaNov. 16, 2021

Presidential candidates decry panel's decision to ban Yonhap articles from internet portals

Presidential candidates from the ruling party and the main opposition on Monday criticized a panel's decision to ban articles by Yonhap News Agency on mainstream internet portals. A committee jointly formed by leading web portals -- Naver and Daum -- in 2015 to evaluate news partnerships on Friday announced that the two portal operators should cancel their partnerships with Yonhap, in a measure that limits readers from viewing the agency's news articles on the portal sites for one year, as the

Social AffairsNov. 15, 2021

South African Week kicks off in Korea

The South African Embassy and Interpark Mall is co-hosting a South African promotion week through Nov. 11-17, showcasing South African products currently available in Korea including Rugani carrot juice, Ceres juice, Renewallife rooibos tea and Bio-Oil, amongst others. According to the South African ambassador to Korea, Zenani Dlamini, Korea has a diversified economy that has invested significantly in the development of innovation and technology. “Platforms of this nature afford South A

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 15, 2021

Tourists arrive in S. Korea from Singapore on 'travel bubble'

The first tourists from Singapore since the start of the coronavirus pandemic arrived Monday in South Korea under a bilateral travel bubble agreement. A travel bubble refers to a quarantine-free travel partnership between two or more cities or countries with similar levels of COVID-19 cases. The tourists landed at Incheon International Airport earlier in the day and will be free to travel around the country without quarantine if they test negative on a polymerase chain reaction test, the Korea

Social AffairsNov. 15, 2021

Humanitarian cooperation in COVID-19 attests strength of Korea’s ties with Arab world countries, says Kuwaiti ambassador

Bader M. al-Awadi, Kuwait’s ambassador to South Korea, said ties between Korea and Middle Eastern countries have remained strong and has withstood the challenges brought about during the pandemic. “Humanitarian cooperation that took place between Korea and Arab countries in the field of limiting the spread of COVID-19, exchange of medical expertise, supply and devices, and sharing of creative ways Korea has invented to deal with pandemic, confirmed the ties and strength between Kore

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 15, 2021

[Herald Interview]Chilean minister hails ‘win-win’ opportunity in clean energy

Developing clean energy is a win-win opportunity for both Chile and Korea, as both are open economies with access to the wider market through the Pacific Ocean, Chile’s Minister for Energy and Mining Juan Carlos Jobet said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Jobet said Chile has vast renewable resources, powerful solar irradiance and ample wind resources for producing clean energy that the country wants to share with the rest of the world. With Korea’s goal of achieving carbon n

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 15, 2021

S. Korea cuts Indonesia’s payment in joint jet project

Indonesia will see its payment reduced by 100 billion won ($85 million) to 1.6 trillion won for the joint fighter jet project with South Korea, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Monday, a week after it reached a new deal with Indonesia amid rumors of the Southeast Asian country defaulting.　 The KF-21 program -- in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest -- aims to mass produce jets as early as 2027, but Indonesia had hardly p

DefenseNov. 15, 2021